An Update from the EMA Fund

An Update from the EMA Fund

December 21, 2017

Dear Friend,

We are writing to keep you updated on the work that is happening at the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion (EMA) Fund. After the resignation of a board member and a call to action from several committed members who are leading efforts to center our work in racial justice, the EMA Fund has embarked on a process of values realignment and restructuring to better serve our community. We are focusing on centering the people and communities most affected by structural barriers to abortion.

EMA was created in 1999 to help people within our region access abortions. Throughout our life as an organization, EMA has aspired to align ourselves with the values of the reproductive justice movement, but we have fallen short in ways that are antithetical to our purpose. We are excited to take this opportunity to transform EMA into a stronger, more holistic, more just abortion fund.

Reproductive Justice (RJ) is a term originally coined by SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. Loretta Ross of SisterSong explains RJ as an intersectional theory, informed by the experiences of women of color, that recognizes the impacts of race, gender, class, disability, and sexual identity on reproductive oppression and centers the voices of marginalized communities. RJ places access to abortion and contraception in the larger context of health, well-being, and autonomy. The three core principles of RJ are: the right to have a child, the right not to have a child, and the right to parent in safe environments and healthy communities.

We want to be clear that EMA remains committed to our core mission: funding abortions. As we work internally to recommit and rededicate ourselves to our mission, our public-facing communication will be quieter over the next 8-12 months. However, our hotline will remain open to provide abortion funding and logistical support to people who need it. Our service to callers will not be disrupted.

During this time, we are counting on your continued support to ensure that our service to callers does not suffer. In 2016 we received over 550 calls, and our average grant size was $315. Last year, over 75% of our annual budget went directly to helping our callers. The rest of that budget went to our administrative and bookkeeping costs, trainings, and development opportunities for our volunteers.

By becoming a monthly sustainer you can make sure we are able to continue funding abortions. Monthly sustainers help us reduce the need for fundraising, make it easier for us to budget, and most importantly–guarantee that our callers get the help they need. Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer at bit.ly/donate2ema or giving whatever you can to make sure we are able to continue funding abortions. Donations of any amount are key to our ability to fund all of our callers.

We are looking forward to our journey as an organization, and our continued work together. We hope you are too.

Sincerely,

The EMA Fund

Note: The EMA Fund put out an update to this statement in January of 2018. View it here.